Man arrested in 2013 rape, ax assault of teen who played dead to survive

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CYPRESS, Texas— After five years of searching, a family is finally getting justice for the aggravated rape and kidnapping of their daughter.

Levi Austin Goss, 24, was arrested Friday for the 2013 assault.

According to court documents, on Feb. 6, 2013, the victim, whose identity is being withheld due to her age, was walking to school after having an argument with her foster mother. The victim walked for 30 minutes and stopped across the street from Cypress Woods High School when she heard something behind her. When she turned around, she was viciously attacked by Goss, who was wearing a ninja-style mask that covered his face and head.

Goss dragged the victim into a nearby field, where she was beaten, raped and sodomized. The victim was then forced to stand up and hit in the back of the head with an ax.

Sheriff's deputies say the victim told them she heard a loud ringing in her ears and fell to the ground where she played dead until Gross left. She then ran for help.

A DNA rape kit of the victim was taken in the hospital, but a match was not found until Jan. 22, 2018 by the Department of the US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory at Fort Bragg, where Goss was stationed.

Following the DNA match, another witness came forward on Jan. 24, 2018.

An employee at an Exxon gas station in the 29600 block of the Northwest Freeway said Goss came into his store around midnight and changed his shirt. When Goss left, the employee checked the bathroom and found a bloody gray shirt.